Along with other questions about caring for children, parents are often interested in how much newborn children sleep. Newly made moms and dads are characterized by excessive excitement, anxiety and doubt. Often, some believe that their baby sleeps too little, others are surprised that a lot. In fact, it is impossible to specifically and unequivocally state how much a newborn sleeps. From the very first days, each person is individual.
According to average statistics, the first week after birth, children sleep for nearly 24 hours. Depending on their characteristics, the sleep of newborns can be from 16 to 22 hours. The child wakes up when he feels a sense of hunger. At the same time, some eat for 20 minutes and immediately fall asleep again, while others stay awake for a while, getting to know the world around them. During the day, sleep between feedings reaches an average of 2-4 hours. At night, children can sleep 5-7 hours. You should not wake a child earlier than this time. After all, it is in a dream that children grow most rapidly, gain strength, develop the brain and all other body systems. Thus, if no matter how much the newborn sleeps, he is not restless, eats well, has regular stools and normal temperature, then everything is in order, and he can rest as much as his body needs.
Sleep phases of a newborn
It is important for parents to know not only how much the newborn sleeps, but also how he sleeps. A child’s sleep has three phases: weak sleep, strong and very deep sleep. The first phase lasts about 30 minutes. At this time, the baby is better not to disturb and let him sleep peacefully. During the second and third phases, the child is already sleeping soundly enough, so parents can safely take up their affairs without fear of waking him.
Some mothers are asked different questions about the fact that the baby falls asleep during feeding. There is absolutely nothing abnormal in this. In addition, this phenomenon is quite common. This is especially often observed with breastfeeding. Firstly, the baby is pleased to fall asleep next to his mother, with whom he was inseparable for 9 months. Secondly, breast sucking is a physical job for him, performing which, he gets tired and, as a result, falls asleep. It is important to know that the newborn drinks the bulk of milk in the first 5 minutes, so there is no point in feeding him more than 20 minutes.
What determines the duration of a night sleep of a newborn
It is worth noting that how much the newborn sleeps at night depends on the place. So, for example, falling asleep next to mom, the baby may not wake up at all for 9 hours (with an average rate of 5-7). This is explained by the fact that the child feels warmth, comfort and hears such a dear and beloved mother’s smell. In addition, at any time he can attach to his chest, so his sleep will be more calm. However, a nightly rest with a child in the same bed can bring many inconveniences for parents. In the future, they may encounter a problem, accustoming the baby to his own crib.
Each child has everything individually, including a dream, but still parents should know the average norms of how much a newborn sleeps per day.
Baby's sleep rate| Child age | Night sleep | Daytime sleep | Daily rest |
| Newborn | 9.5 | 9.5 | 19 |
| 1 month | eight | eight | sixteen |
| 3 months | ten | 5 | 15 |
| 6 months | eleven | 3,5 | 14.5 |
| 9 months | 11.5 | 3 | 14.5 |
| 1 year | 11.5 | 2,5 | 14 |
The older the child becomes, the less time he spends on sleep. In his first days of life, he is growing steadily, gaining strength, and then gradually begins to spend more and more time getting to know his parents and everything that surrounds him. By the second month, the baby’s sleep is reduced on average to 16 hours a day. And by the year this figure reaches 14 hours.